Sua Regina, Suus Gladius
by CallForCourage1516
Summary: Latin for "His Queen, His Sword". After a particularly traumatic mission for the Queen, Ciel takes Lizzie under his wing to protect her, and finds himself a new sword and partner. Set post-Campania arc. Ciel/Lizzie. Contains violence, gore, and sexual content. I do not own the cover picture.
1. Prologue: His Lady, Threatened

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroshitsuji. Yana Taboso does. If I owned it, Ciel and Lizzie would be genuinely together, and Ciel/Sebby wouldn't exist.**

 **Big BIG thank you to my betas, Td03, for all her help and support (she really worked and helped with this) and blackbutler415 for the support :) Big big thank you as well to my lovely reviewer Kimberly T who helped me tie up a loose end on this chapter.**

 _Lizzie, beautiful, sweet, sweet Lizzie, covered in blood._

 _Lizzie, his cute, innocent Lizzie, with her dress torn in shreds._

 _Lizzie, the one light in his dark dismal world, lying on the ground, with her throat and chest torn open, and her dull green eyes, once so bright and joyful, staring aimlessly at the dark grey skies above._

 _Lizzie, silent._

 _Dead, pale, silent, and still. All the things his Lizzie wasn't._

 _The demon's voice, the one sound he hated the most, cut through the air._

" _You see it now, don't you, Phantomhive? The Queen's watchdog, so useless in protecting the ones he love."_

 _Ciel shut his eyes against the madness. His heart pounded, threatening to beat out of his ribcage. His whole body felt numb and cold, as if he had been doused in freezing water, and he was unable to move. Images of Lizzie, bright, happy, LIVE Lizzie, flashed through his mind._

 _The sound of something wet hitting the ground brought Ciel back to his senses. He opened his eyes and stared in horror at Lizzie's lifeless heart lying still on the cold, hard ground. His whole world stopped as bile threatened to creep up his throat._

 _No. No no no no NO. That cold, limp piece of flesh should be within Lizzie's chest, beating, pumping life into her veins._

 _Alive. Alive. ALIVE._

 _That's what Lizzie should be._

 _Remnants of her scream as the demon tore her chest open rung in Ciel's ears. Her pain, her agony..her love, all poured out into one scream._

 _Alive. Alive alive ALIVE! Lizzie should be alive!_

 _At that, something snapped inside of Ciel. Alive. That demon had stolen the life out of his Lizzie._

 _Ciel's eyes snapped open, his own heart pounding loudly, and he lunged at the demon with a scream, until -_

"Young master".

Ciel awoke with a start, staring into the face of his loyal butler, Sebastian Michaelis. Flexing his fingers, Ciel released a breath as he looked around, realizing that he was safely in his own room in the Phantomhive manor.

"What is it?", Ciel asked grumpily as he sat up, and was taken aback by the roughness of his voice.

Sebastian gave him an indecipherable look before chuckling quietly.

"You were screaming in your sleep, my lord. Is everything alright? You did mention the Lady Elizabeth's name quite a few times."

"Oh, be quiet, you. I did not.", was the indignant reply.

"If you insist, then, my lord. Must I assume that the nightmares have not yet ceased?"

Ciel groaned as he sat up and stared at the wall in front of him. Images of the various nightmares he had been having flashed before him: Lizzie screaming as she was ripped in half from the skull to the waist; Lizzie tied down, begging for mercy as her green eye was gouged out, the beautiful, precious emerald broken and marred by the ruby that was her blood.

Lizzie as death's bride.

Ever since that fateful day in the back alley, Ciel had been plagued by nightmares which specifically included Lizzie in various states of death, despair, and pain.

It was annoying.

He should have been used to it. He was the Queen's watchdog, for Christ's sake! He had seen death and destruction, he had seen pain and despair.

He saw it everyday, but now, his mind just had to come up with newer, more sadistic things.

And it was always Lizzie. It could have been one of those wretched Grim Reapers, or maybe even one of the many children he had failed to save.

But no, it always had to be Lizzie.

He and Sebastian had been on another mission for the Queen, which involved the kidnapping of multiple noble ladies. Their investigation lead them to a demon named Macbeth who had formed a contract with a homeless beggar who had wished for warmth and comfort. Macbeth had been able to turn the beggar into a respectable and successful businessman who went by the name of Thomas. However, Thomas had grown drunk in his riches and success and wished for more. Unfortunately, Macbeth did not have the power to give in to his contract's every request.

As it turns out, demons can be made more powerful by means of special sacrifices. The purer and nobler the blood of the sacrifice, the more powerful the demon becomes. To this extent, Thomas took it upon himself to kidnap and murder noblewomen to strengthen Macbeth and grant him his wish.

In his zeal and greed, Thomas took more than just a large number of noblewomen: he also took the Queen's attention. Naturally, this case fell into the lap of her watchdog: the Earl Phantomhive.

By following a noblewoman whom they believed was next to be kidnapped, Ciel and Sebastian were able to corner Macbeth and Thomas.

 _Metal clashed against metal as the two demons fought on the rooftops. Knives against fangs, greed against hatred. On the ground below, the Earl consumed by revenge faced the man consumed by greed._

 _"I'd wipe that smug smirk off your face if I were you, boy.", Thomas warned._

 _"Or what? You are in no position to talk.", replied Ciel, pointing a revolver at him._

 _"Or you may grow to know what true fear is like. True pain. Failure."_

 _"I've known all that and more. There is nothing you can do to stop me." Ciel said as he cocked the revolver._

 _Thomas merely smiled. "I've heard about you. The Earl Ciel Phantomhive. Your parents were murdered, your manor set ablaze. And yet, you survived. After a month, you came back, with a butler clad in black. As the queen's watchdog, you are meant to guard the Underground, to eradicate all those who disturb the peace. You meddle with darkness and evil, and yet, you are but a boy."_

 _A bullet was released from the revolver and hit Thomas in the shoulder._

 _"And? It's in my job description. It's in my public record. Age should not be a matter when there are adults such as you. Evil chooses no age." He cocked the revolver. "Now, give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't kill you right here and now."_

 _"Because, little boy, your beloved QUEEN wants me back alive. What for? For questioning, for atonement? You didn't even ask why, did you? Like the good little dog that you are, you merely fetch as you are told."_

 _He took a step towards Ciel, putting his hand over the boy's aiming the revolver directly at his own heart._

 _"But I know you. And I know what you are. You are a weak little boy who is nothing without your butler. You cannot do anything on your own. You are weak. Useless. A mere trifling."_

 _His eyes glowed red as he looked into Ciel's eye. Ciel caught his gaze, and immediately stiffened._

 _"You go out in the name of the queen, and protect England from all that harms it. And yet, the poor little watchdog cannot protect his bitch."_

 _Ciel stared at the man indignantly. What was he talking about? How dare he? Ciel had no bitch, unless that was directed towards Sebastian. This man was desperate. He made no sense. If he thought that Ciel, a boy, had qualms about shooting a man, well then, he surely was mistaken._

 _Ciel made to pull the trigger and found that he was completely unable to move. He felt as though he were bound from head to toe, every organ encased in glass and frozen in time._

 _"...Ciel?"_

 _Ciel's heart stopped as he heard that voice, and suddenly found, cruelly, that he was now able to move. He made to pull the trigger, and found that the revolver was gone from his hand. He turned around to see a sight both lovely and frightening: Lizzie, decked in white and pink, stepping carefully into the alley, her eyes darting around the dismal area. Ciel opened his mouth to call out to her, but was horrified at what he saw next._

 _Thomas grabbed Lizzie and held the knife to her throat, locking her delicate body within his brutal arms. Staring into her frightened eyes, Ciel felt the blood freeze in his veins._

 _Suddenly, as though in a blink of an eye, the entire scene changed. Ciel found himself in front of a large, rusted, metal door with thick stone walls on either side. The ground was damp dirt, and in the distance, he could hear water drops echoing as they hit puddles in the ground. Wind howled as Ciel shivered in the cold. Where was Sebastian? Ciel hugged himself when he realized with a start what he was wearing: a thin white shirt, rough and barely reaching his knees, quite like the one that he had worn in captivity._

 _A muffled scream suddenly rang out in the silence, followed by the chilling sound of something solid hitting wet flesh, and then maniacal laughter. Ciel froze. He knew that voice! He scrambled to the heavy door and pushed with all his might. The door creaked as it opened, and his heart stopped as he was greeted with the most chilling sight he had ever seen._

 _Lizzie was handcuffed to the wall across him, her head bowed and her feet dangling in the air. Her bright blonde hair was out of her pigtails, tangled and matted with blood and dirt. Her dress, reduced to shreds, was hardly able to cover her blood-covered body. Over her mouth was tied a bloody rag, which muffled her screams._

 _Standing in front of her was Thomas, grinning madly with a blood covered whip in his hand. In front of him stood a table on which various torture devices and weapons were laid out. Among them were knives of different shapes and sizes, spiked metal balls on chains, and various contraptions with spikes and blades that Ciel did not recognize. Majority of them were filthy with blood and rust._

 _Thomas turned to face Ciel, the same maniacal smile still plastered on to his face._

" _Glad to see that you were able to join the party, Phantomhive! You missed the good part, however. Yet, it isn't too late, is it, darling?" he grabbed Lizzie's chin roughly and lifted her head to face him._

" _Well then, what shall we try next on this pretty lady of yours?" he asked menacingly, as Lizzie's frightened eyes stared into his sinister ones. He ripped off her gag and, to Ciel's horror, kissed her bloodied mouth roughly._

 _Anger and hatred burned through Ciel, taking over him as though these emotions had personified themselves into another being and had swallowed him whole._

 _He couldn't understand it. Yes, he did love her, but for both of their sakes, he had pushed her away, forcing himself to see her as nothing more than a necessary nuisance. He had very nearly succeeded. He wasn't supposed to care about her. She was just an annoying little girl arranged to be his doll-wife. A face for society. A pawn. Nothing more._

 _But somehow, over the years, she had crept up under his skin. She, with her obsession with cute, and her hidden strength. She, worming her way into his heart as a speck of light in his sad world._

 _She was never supposed to be involved in this. She was never supposed to be just another statistic in his records._

 _With a scream and a fire that he did not know he had, Ciel lunged at Thomas, intent on destroying him, intent on ripping his damned heart out for every laying hands on his Lizzie._

 _Just as Ciel was about to reach him, he was stopped by what seemed like an invisible wall separating the two of them. Ciel screamed and pounded uselessly at the unseen barrier, his voice cracking and his fists beginning to bleed as Thomas grinned and considered the weapons on the table._

" _You bastard! Give her back! I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU! Sebastian!"_

 _He was interrupted by the piercing voice of Macbeth behind him._

" _Your delicious little pet isn't going to save you. He couldn't even save himself."_

 _Ciel turned around and met Sebastian's lifeless eyes, staring up at him from the hand of Macbeth. His head dangled lifelessly from Macbeth's hand, skin paler than usual and mouth open in a silent scream. Dark blood clotted around the base of this throat, and the skin had been peeled away from the front part of his throat, revealing crushed bone. The blood went cold in Ciel's veins. For once in his life, he did not know what to do. An empty, hollow, feeling crept into his chest, and he shook. He was helpless, alone._

" _Ciel...please...no! NO! WHY?! CIEL, PLEASE, NO!"_

 _Lizzie's chilling scream pierced Ciel's thoughts. He turned around once more and, frozen in his spot, watched as Thomas morphed his appearance. His round body turned thin and lanky, his brown hair turned black, and his gray eyes turned blue. An eyepatch formed around his left eye, and the maniacal grin was replaced by a serious frown. With horror, Ciel realized that Thomas was replaced by a clone of him._

 _Still frozen, he watched as "Ciel" selected an ice pick from the table and approached Lizzie, who was still begging weakly for mercy, her cries interjected by sobs and "why"s. "Ciel" then quickly plunged the ice pick into her left eye with a sickening squish, causing blood to draw forth as the pure green of her eye was broken and cracked with red, emitting a loud, agonized scream from theinjured girl._

" _You useless girl!", he yelled as he withdrew the ice pick, thick red blood clinging to the metal and flowing down her cheek._

" _You are nothing to me! Don't you understand? I don't care about you! You are nothing but a burden to me!"_

 _Tears streamed down Ciel's eyes as he watched in horror. His mouth felt dry and his body was numbed by what he was bearing witness to. "Ciel" continued to plunge the ice pick into her eye repeatedly while Lizzie cried out in pain and apology._

 _Never in his life had Ciel felt so useless, like such a failure. He wanted to cry out, to scream, to tell Lizzie that she was none of what Thomas accused her to be. He wanted to call out to her, to tell her that she was everything to him, that she was the light in his life, that she was his one joy. That he had only pushed her away to protect her._

 _But alas, his mouth failed to form words and he was unable to do anything but watch her agony helplessly._

 _Finally, her eye was nothing more than a liquid, red mess and the last of her cries had been silenced as she lost consciousness from the pain and blood loss. Silent. She was silent._

 _Ciel snapped out of his horror-stricken trance and, screaming, pounded angrily at the invisible barrier._

" _You bastard! Unhand her this instant! Let go of her! LET GO OF HER! Give her back! GIVE HER BACK!"_

 _At this, "Ciel" merely smiled back at him, his features morphing back into Thomas's. He grinned maliciously._

" _Unhand her? Let her go? Give her back? Are you sure, Phantomhive?"_

 _With those words, he took an axe from the table and quickly swung it to cut off Lizzie's right hand, causing her arm to drop lifelessly from the chains holding it up. Without a moment's hesitation, he did the same to her other hand. Her body crumpled to the floor, little more than a mass of blood and flesh._

 _Cackling madly, Thomas picked her lifeless body up by the hair and flung it roughly to the floor near to the barrier._

 _Ciel, who had been resting his weight on the barrier as he pounded on it, suddenly found himself falling forward as the barrier disappeared. Immediately, he went to Lizzie's side, gathering her broken body in his arms._

 _Broken. Bloodied. Mutilated. That green eye which had sparkled so often with joy and light was now a broken, bloody, incomprehensible mess. That mouth which had so often smiled and laughed was now bloodied, broken, and violated. That golden hair which had so often gleamed in the sunlight, making heads turn wherever she went, was now dull and matted with blood. Those hands that had tried so desperately to make everything cute, to make him happy, those hands that had so bravely protected him, were now on the other side of the room, still hanging on the wall. He had failed. He had failed his duty. He had failed his promise. He had failed to protect her._

 _He had failed her._

 _A hollow feeling filled Ciel, one so complex and incomprehensible that he would not have been able to put it to words. It was a whirlwind of anger, anguish, pain, fear, and the hollow scream of failure. His heart beat wildly, his chest started to heave, and his throat struggled to keep in the sobs threatening to escape. It boiled his blood, pumping fear into his veins._

 _As he held her broken body, a shrill, earth shattering scream cut through the air. Looking down at Lizzie, he found that her skin had started to crumble away in his arms. Bit by bit, the broken, bloodied skin turned to ash, flying into the wind as her flesh slowly began to liquify, melting away into a dismal gray sludge. Screaming her name, he tried desperately to hold on to the little that he could of her slowly liquefying body as it dripped past his fingers. Looking up hopelessly, he saw cracks slowly forming in everything around him. And then, like shards of a mirror, everything around him broke and he was in the back alley once more._

* * *

" _Young master. Young master!"_

 _Ciel was motionless and wide-eyed on the ground by the time Sebastian got to him. While battling Macbeth, Sebastian had looked down and found black smoke engulfing Thomas and Ciel. Immediately sensing that his master was in danger, he had managed to throw Macbeth on to the roof of a church, ignoring the demonic shrieks emitted as Macbeth was impaled by the chapel pire. Blood rained down, painting the pire and the chapel roof red. Flecks of burning blood stained Sebastian's jacket as he rushed to his master's aid._

 _Upon entering the thick black smoke, he had found Ciel crouched down on the ground, still as a statue, staring into the space before him. Thomas's eyes had been glowing red and fire had seemed to emit from his hands. Sneaking up behind him, Sebastian had stabbed Thomas in the neck, causing a fountain of blood to gush out from the wound, painting the area around him a glistening, sickening red. As Thomas fell, the smoke had dispersed, and Ciel had fallen as well._

 _Ciel himself was completely still, almost like a corpse. If it weren't for the faint smell of his soul, Sebastian could have sworn that Ciel was dead. Giving Ciel's body a few gentle shakes, Sebastian gave up and shook him as hard as he could, shouting Ciel's title as loudly as he could while he did so. Just when Sebastian was ready to think of another, more violent approach to wake him up, Ciel's eyes fluttered and he turned to look at him._

" _Sebastian?"_

" _Yes, my lord?"_

 _Ciel suddenly grabbed Sebastian's shoulders tightly in fear._

 _"Lizzie?! Where is she?"_

 _"The Lady Elizabeth, master? What do you mean? She isn't here."_

 _"What do you mean she isn't here?! She was just here! I held her! I bloody held her! Where is she?!"_

 _"Young master? What-"_

 _Ciel shakily got to his feet and, like a madman, started running aimlessly while screaming Lizzie's name._

" _Lizzie! LIZZIE! LIZZIE! "_

" _Young master? Young Master!" called Sebastian as Ciel ran further from him, and suddenly vanished in thin air, even if he had not run very far._

" _Young Master?"_

* * *

 _Meanwhile, as suddenly as he had found himself before the torture chamber door, Ciel found himself back at the Phantomhive manor, watching Lizzie chase his dog, Sebastian._

" _Daring nephew, you seem too tense. Don't you think it is time you put a stop to this?"_

 _Ciel's eyes widened when he heard that voice._

" _Madam Red?"_

 _He felt a hand on his shoulder from behind him and gently turn him around._

 _Madam Red's image greeted his vision, and she smiled lovingly at him before looking out at the scenery beyond him._

" _This is the life you could have had, Ciel. Peaceful. Happy. Surrounded by love, family, and sunshine."_

 _Ciel was silent as unwanted tears sprung to his eyes. Madam Red gently lifted his chin to have him meet her eyes._

" _You could have had all this. You could have been happy. I could have been happy. I could have been alive. But no. You ruined it."_

" _Ma-madam?"_

 _A large spot of blood began to appear on Madam Red's pristine white underblouse, and began to spread slowly, until it melted in with the red of her dress, until one could no longer tell any visible difference between the red of her blood and the red of her dress. A chainsaw began to whirr, unbidden, in the background._

" _You were all I had, Ciel. You were all that was left of my beloved sister. Of Vincent. I loved you. So why? Why?"_

" _Why? Why? Why? Why?", chanted a multitude of voices around him. Looking around, Ciel was met with the bloodied visages of all those he had killed, or had failed to save._

" _Why couldn't you save us, Mr. Watchdog?" cried the children that had been kidnapped by Baron Kelvin, their wide, dead eyes staring him down._

" _You were my friend, Smile! I lied for you! I protected you! Why?" cried Doll._

" _You were one of us! Why?" cried the rest of the circus troupe._

 _It was suddenly a maddening whirlwind of color, tears, blood, screams, and cries. Wherever he looked, Ciel found that he had nowhere to run._

" _Stop it! Stop it! All of you! Please! Stop it!" he cried._

" _Why, Ciel? Why? Why did you let me die?"_

" _You were the closest thing I had to a son, Ciel, why couldn't you save me?"_

" _Ciel, help me, please!"_

" _Go and don't come back."_

" _Ciel! Ciel! Ciel!"_

 _Ciel hated his name._

 _With all the commotion, he fell to his knees, covering his ears. The whirlwind grew louder and louder, until Ciel was sure that he had lost his mind. Feeling something wet on his hands, he brought down one hand, only to see it soaked in blood. Bringing down that one hand was all it took for the whirlwind to consume him. He was overcome by the screams, by the smell of blood, of rotting cadavers, by the wetness of tears, and by the cries for help. Overwhelmed, his brain seemed to burst, and his every nerve was on fire. Pain consumed his skull as blood poured out of every possible cavity in his skull. Ciel screamed as the pain agony overtook him, until finally, his vision dimmed until he saw only black._

 _When Ciel came to, he found himself back in the manor with Sebastian._

" _Lizzie?", Ciel asked weakly as he opened his eyes_

" _She isn't here, my lord. Although, I am not surprised that you ask for her.", replied Sebastian as he helped Ciel sit up and handed him his tea._

 _"Why do you say so? Where is she?"_

" _She is safely at the Midford manor, my lord. You need not fear_ _._ _However, I did find something quite interesting. It seems that all the sacrifices Thomas has been doing did more than just empower Macbeth: it had granted Thomas supernatural gifts as well."_

" _What? What do you mean?"_

" _Thomas was granted the ability to cause hallucinations. He can look into one's heart and project their greatest fear in front of them, delivering a hallucination so powerful that it can barely be called an illusion. I assume that your greatest fear involved the Lady Elizabeth, my lord?"_

 _Greatest fear? Since when did Lizzie hold this much power over him?_

" _Among other things."_

"Young master?"

Sebastian's voice brought Ciel back from his musings, his lips curling into a smirk that could only be deciphered as mocking.

"Is there anything I can do to help with your predicament, my lord? Maybe some tea,and a lullaby, perhaps?"

Ciel stared back at Sebastian without amusement.

"Or perhaps a soft kitten would do, young master?", Sebastian offered, pulling a sleek black cat out of nowhere and presenting it to Ciel. "I named her Bastet."

Ciel sneezed.

"That won't help at all, Sebastian. This has to do with the Lady Elizabeth. Not with you, or your horrific lullaby, and definitely not with ANY OF YOUR DUMB CATS!"

"Oh, alright then, my lord." Sebastian sighed as he withdrew the kitten and tucked it somewhere within his overcoat.

"You mentioned the Lady Elizabeth, my lord? My, are you in love?"

"Shut up, Sebastian. This is not the time for joking around. I do not have time for such fleeting, petty things such as love. As a Phantomhive, it is my duty to keep my fiance safe. How would it look if the queen's watchdog is unable to keep his fiance safe from harm? My reputation would be is all a matter of duty. "

"Well then, my lord, what shall we do?"

Ciel was silent for a moment as he considered his options, especially the one that had been bearing on him ever since the day of the attack. Finally, with a sigh and a heavy heart, he made his decision.

"I intend to call off the engagement."

"Call off the engagement? My lord, are you alright?"

"Of course I am. Why would I not be?"

"Excuse me for speaking out of turn, my lord, but I believe that such an action would be very unwise."

"Unwise? Why would you say so?"

"Well, my lord, it is no secret to society and to the underground world that the Lady Elizabeth is your betrothed. They are well aware of your history together. Even if you were to break off your engagement, my lord, she is still family. By simply bearing the Phantomhive name, my lord, she has become a target for criminals and enemies of your family. Breaking the engagement will just bring both of you pain and despair, and not cease the threat against her or her family."

"Well, that's bloody lovely, then. Would you happen to have any ideas, then, Sebastian?

"I believe that it would be to your benefit if you were to take her in, my lord. She is in danger anywhere she goes. By being closer to her, at least, you can keep an eye on her and fulfill your duty to protect her."

At that, Ciel stood up and walked to the window, heaving a heavy sigh. Silence fell for several moments, until finally, Ciel spoke up.

"That makes sense. But the world I am in is too dark, too gray, too dismal for Lizzie. Lizzie is the sun, and I am the night. She does not belong where I do. I do not wish for her to have to see what I do. I do not wish for her to lose her innocence, her radiance. She is too weak, Sebastian, too fragile. She sees only the beauty in the world, and not its filth." Turning back to Sebastian, he added softly, "Taking her in would mean exposing her to the world I live in. I cannot bear to stain her."

"I doubt that she is what you think her to be, my lord. She is a Midford, and a Phantomhive. You did see her on the Campania, did you not? She has seen the darkness that you are trying to protect her from, and fought back. She is a Phantomhive as well. I believe that she is not as fragile as you may think her to be."

Frustrated, Ciel slammed his fist on to the table near him. "Why are you even so concerned about this? What is it to you? Why are you pushing this so hard?"

"It amuses me, my lord. You human beings are such fickle creatures. Seeing one go such lengths for something as fleeting as love has amused demons for centuries."

"So that's it? You want her here, not to protect her or for ANY concern that you may have, but for your own amusement? As a toy?"

"I am a demon, my lord. I do not have the capability to care for someone, unless it is stipulated in the contract. However, there is more to it than that, my lord. I would love to see her influence on your soul"

"What do you mean?"

"Certain emotions and experiences generated in the human soul flavors it accordingly. I'd like to see what she does to you."

"You're saying you want her to suffer, for my soul to be painted with pain and anguish so that you may enjoy it further?"

"Not at all. Certain positive emotions and experiences, like love and fornication, can-"

"What?! I am NOT going to fall in love with her, OR fornicate with her, demon! In case you haven't noticed, I am a busy, serious man who can die at any time!"

"Man, my lord? Do you envision yourself as an adult? I think the term "lady" would be more suitable for you."

"Shut up."

"As I was saying, I'd like to see her influence on you. She is a smart girl, my lord, and I am sure that you will find that there is many that a beautiful lady such as her may do. Why, with her strength, I believe she may even assist you in your duties."

Ciel stared out of the window and said nothing.

"What truly is stopping you, my lord? Do you fear her obsession with cute? I think some color might do you some good. Or is it that you fear that she will burden you?"

"In part, yes. But as I said, I wouldn't want to contaminate her."

"She is already contaminated, my lord."

"You've made that point quite clear!"

Ciel sighed. "Don't we have any other options?"

"None that I can think of, my lord. Besides, she is in even more danger away from you, than she is with you."

"But you forget what happened with Drocell! That was entirely my doing! Drocell was after me, and he used her to get to me!"

"Indeed, it was your fault, young master. Imagine, had you been there when she had gotten kidnapped, you could have prevented her from even getting kidnapped in the first place. If she had been by your side, he wouldn't have used her."

"He could have still hurt her in front of me."

"If you had just given me the order, I could have prevented that from happening."

Ciel heaved another weary sigh.

"You're right." Turning resignedly away from the window, he continued, "We call on the Middlefords tomorrow morning. I think it is time that the watchdog watches over his own kind."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Please do leave a review and tell me what you think. This is my first fanfic in a very long time (almost 4 years), so I'd like to know how I'm doing and if you have any suggestions for me. :)**

 **We'll be seeing Lizzie in the next chapter, which is the start of the actual story. Thank you again for your support and I hope you liked it! :)**


	2. His Lady, Invited

**Sorry for the long ass wait. I was caught up in college and personal business. There was also the issue of my having a little writer's hissy fit because this damn chapter wasn't working out the way I wanted to. Well, I apologize in advance because this chapter is so very dialogue-heavy and there isn't too much that happens. It sets the stage for future chapters more than anything. I tried to avoid that, but it was important to lay it out well, and in real life, people settle things through dialogue. If you're uninterested in this dialogue-heavy chapter with pretty much no action in it, I left a tl;dr at the end of this chapter. I think I'll leave a tl;dr at the end of chapters that aren't so action based. Does that sound like a good idea? I understand that dialouge-heavy chapters isn't so much a lot of people's thing, so I want a way to keep you guys updated in the story without having to pass through the boring parts.**

 **As strange as it may be, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my maternal grandmother, who passed away recently. She was a prolific writer and was the one who inspired me to write. She wrote in many genres: suspense, political conspiracy, romance, children's literature, etc. She even wrote a cookbook! This chapter is for her. I love you Lola* 3**

 **Also disclaimer: I do not own any part of Kuroshitsuji.**

 **Big thanks to my awesome beta Td03 for really helping me with this chapter, as well as to blackbutler415 for the support!**

 **Also, shoutout to my lovely reviewer Kimberly T who helped me clear up something in the previous chapter regarding Macbeth's fate. :)**

 ***Filipino word for grandmother**

* * *

The carriage ride to the Midford mansion was long and bumpy, but it seemed to be the least of Ciel's worries as he stared out of the carriage window with a forlorn look on his face.

"You seem troubled, young master. Is something the matter?", Sebastian asked, breaking the tense silence in the carriage.

Ciel sighed. "I still cannot believe that I am doing this."

"Having your doubts now, my lord?"

Ciel tapped his fingers irritatedly at the window sill. "I still don't know if this is the right thing to do. Exposing Lizzie like this..she could get hurt, and then I'll never be able to forgive myself. Especially the Marchioness, how will she take it? Taking her only daughter to train for a man's job? Only a demon would think of such a thing."

"You humans are so terribly amusing, separating each other based on what's between your legs. Why, in the demon realm, males and females are seen to be on equal footing. There is absolutely no difference between us, other than how we piss."

"Sebastian!"

"I say it like I see it, my lord. Why, even Lilith, Lucifer's mate, has just as much power, authority, and responsibility as he. "

"Yes, you mentioned that yesterday."

"Exactly. If the King of Demons himself has his Queen ruling by his side, then why can't the Queen's Watchdog have his? I'll wager that the Lady has even been bred for this very role."

Ciel sighed, remembering their conversation the day before. "Yes, I am very much aware of that."

* * *

 _Ciel had just sent a telegram to the Midfords and was currently pacing back and forth in his office._

" _My lord, do you intend to create a hole in the carpet? I may be one hell of a butler, but a chafed carpet is a pain even to me."_

 _Ciel's feet stopped._ " _I am not pacing."_

" _Well, pardon me then, young master, but in that case, what is that?", Sebastian asked innocently, pointing to the worn-out strip in the carpet._

" _I-I don't know! A rat must have done it..or something!" Ciel cried with exasperation._

" _A rat, my lord? My, that must really be one hell of a rat."_

 _Ciel rolled his eyes at Sebastian, who heaved a heavy sigh._

" _Alright, young lord. Whatever is the problem?"_

" _It's just, I don't know what to do with Lizzie once she's here! Yes, I get to protect her, yes I know that I can sleep easy know that the servants will shield her, but what am I supposed to do with HER? I am the Queen's Watchdog and the owner of the Funtom Company, for Christ's sake! I have work to do! Knowing Lizzie, all that she will ever do will be to throw all those frivolous balls of hers, day in and day out! Oh, and let's not forget those horrendous decorations! Pink, pink, pink! Cute, cute, cute! That's all this manor shall ever be! And I will never be able to have the time of day, or the respect, to get any work done!"_

" _Tell her not to, then."_

 _"Are you a fool? This is LIZZIE we're talking about, for Christ's sake! This was a terrible idea, I tell you!" Ciel continued to pace._

 _Sebastian smirked in response. "I think on the contrary, young master."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _You may be awfully dense, young lord, but as a demon, I see that she does everything she does merely to please you, master."_

" _What do you mean?"_

 _Sebastian sighed, putting a hand to his forehead in exasperation._

" _That foolish girl will do anything to make you happy, master. Why, I do believe in fact, that you are her reason for living."_

" _What point are you driving at here? Do you wish me to take advantage of her?"_

" _If you do not know what to do with her, my lord, why not use her as one of your pawns? Granted, you do have a penchant for using whoever you can to your advantage, do you not? What should make her any different?"_

" _Wha-Sebastian! What are you saying?"_

 _The demon lifted a hand to his forehead once more, heaving another sigh of exasperation._

" _I am saying that you may use her as an assistant as both the head of the Funtom Company, and as the Queen's Watchdog."_

" _What? Whatever do you mean by that? How is it even possible to use her in those fields?"_

 _Sebastian sighed. At the rate he was going, he was going to run out of breath from just his sighs._

" _The young master is clearly very dense and stupid-"_

 _A pen made its way to Sebastian's face, and was stopped in its journey by two of Sebastian's fingers._

" _Master." Sebastian looked into Ciel's annoyed blue eye with his own equally exasperated red ones. "What I am saying is that she has the potential to be an asset in the fields that you currently specialize in. Teach her business, math, and bookkeeping, and she will prove to be very useful to the expansion and maintenance of the Funtom Company. Teach her how to shoot and how to understand people. Let her practice her swordsmanship, and she will be a more than helpful assistant to the Queen's Watchdog."_

" _What? Sebastian! Just the mere thought of it! Elizabeth is a lady! There is no way that she can do any of that!"_

" _What do you mean, my lord? You've seen her fight. She's dangerous, and even more so, viciously protective of you, my lord. Why, if not for her, your survival at the Campania would have taken much more effort on my part-"_

" _Are you saying that you could not have saved me then? That would have been a violation of the contract."_

" _No, my lord, I am merely saying that it would have been more difficult for me. Her skills are unparalleled in the human world. Now, given that her skill was something even I did not expect from her, I can only imagine what other secrets may reside in her pretty little head. As a Phantomhive, I expect that she possesses as well the genius that allowed the Funtom Company to prosper for so long."_

 _Ciel was silent for a while, closing his eyes and leaning back against the chair. A sigh escaped his lips as he thought back to that moment. He had thought her a goner, and had screamed in anticipation of the horrendous sight of his life being torn into a bloodied mess before his very eyes. And then, much to everyone's shock, her shell of fragility had shattered to reveal such a strong soul, burning fearlessly bright and ferocious as she tore through bloody monster after monster. Ciel had always thought his fiance cute, but at that moment, seeing that fire in her eyes and that blood on her face, seeing the strength in her limbs as she strove to protect him, he had thought her beautiful._

 _Startled by his own thoughts, his eyes snapped open and he quickly looked away to hide the blush coloring his cheeks._

" _Your arguments do make a point. However, there seems to be one thing that you have failed to consider."_

 _Sebastian looked at him in confusion. What could he have missed out on? His arguments were clear cut, and from his knowledge of the Phantomhive-Midford line, he knew that there was little to no chance of him having missed something._

" _What is it, my lord?"_

" _She's a girl!"_

 _Sebastian stared blankly back at him._

" _And?"_

" _Women just don't do that!"_

" _I beg your pardon, my lord?"_

" _Women..women aren't meant to do that! What part of that can you not understand?"_

 _Sebastian shook his head in disbelief._

" _Do enlighten me then, my lord. What is it that women are meant to do?"_

" _Women..women, they...they gossip among themselves and drink massive amounts of tea and dress themselves in frilly dresses that don't allow them to do anything of use!"_

" _Really, my lord?"_

" _Yes, of course! They are but empty headed pretty little things that do nothing more than ornament some lucky man's arm and giggle at his foolish little words."_

 _Sebastian sighed once more, a long, deep sigh with more exasperation than all of his previous sighs. One hell of a sigh._

" _If that is what women do, my lord, then what of your beloved Queen? Is she not a woman? Or Madam Red? She definitely did more than drink massive amounts of tea-"_

" _You seem to forget the time she tried to steal my tea, demon."_

" _Well, yes, my lord, but she WAS a doctor, was she not? Why, if you need further proof, my lord, look no further than your own betrothed's mother. Can you truly say that the Marchioness does nothing but ornament her husband's arm and giggle at his foolish words? Is that what you truly think of the Lady Elizabeth?"_

" _You have to admit, Sebastian, that Elizabeth DOES do nothing other than obsess over cute."_

" _And yet you harbor affection for her. How sweet of you, master."_

 _Ciel's face visibly reddened as he scowled in response, slamming a fist on to the table as he did so._

" _You will know your place, demon! And I do not harbor any affection for her, this is all merely a matter of duty!"_

 _Sebastian chuckled in return. "My, my, young master, you ARE quite defensive, are you not? But do you truly believe, my lord, that ladies truly are as you had previously described? Do you truly think that they are not of any use?"_

 _Ciel huffed in annoyance as he searched for an answer. "No matter how you look at it, you can't possibly expect a woman to do a man's job! It's just not done!"_

" _In the same way that a mere child cannot be expected to do a man's job?"_

" _I am NOT a mere child! I am your master, and if I was old enough to make a contract with a demon, I am old enough to take on the role of the Queen's Watchdog!" His pen was poised to strike the demon again._

 _The demon merely chuckled, hiding his mouth behind a gloved hand to stifle his laughter._

" _What's so funny? And why are you pressing this? I ask once more, why does any of this even matter to you?"_

 _With mirth in his voice, Sebastian answered, "It is so absolutely hilarious to see you silly humans dance about, making a big fuss over what organ lies between your legs. Where I come from, no distinction is made between male and female, except for maybe who gets to penetrate who-"_

" _I didn't need to know that!"_

" _Ah, so innocent and fresh, my young master truly is. And you claim yourself to be worthy of being the Queen's Watchdog!"_

 _Ciel simply glared at him in response._

" _Why, to a demon, a male and female soul are just about as good as the other at its core. The only difference to them would be their seasoning. A male human seems to be more willing to indulge himself in the most delicious acts and ideas, while females are less likely to do so. However, in the rare event that she would, it is most delightful as it requires a certain strength and complexity to be able to do such a thing in a world wherein your genitals are your ticket. Such women do create such delightful meals-"_

" _You will NOT touch my Lizzie!", Ciel interrupted with a shout, slamming his fist on to the table and staring his butler down with a murderous fire in his eyes._

 _Sebastian smiled a knowing smiling back at Ciel, mischief dancing in his eyes. "Pardon me, but YOUR Lizzie, my lord?"_

 _Ciel reddened visibly as he stammered in fury and embarrassment. "Shut up! The point is, I refuse to allow you to have any piece of Lizzie's soul! Do not touch her! That is an order!" At this point, Ciel was breathing heavily, feeling rage and an overpowering sense of protectiveness rushing through his veins._

" _If that is your order, my lord, then it shall be followed.", Sebastian replied with a little bow. Straightening up, he continued, "However, as I was saying, whether or not the Lady Elizabeth is a female should not make the slightest difference. After all, the only difference between male and female demons is the way that they piss."_

" _Did you have to put it so crudely?"_

" _It's a simple truth, my lord. In truth, the male and female work together. Why, even Lucifer, the king of Gehenna, has his mate, Lilith, by his side. I see no reason as to why the king of the Underground cannot have his queen."_

 _Ciel grumbled, about to reply indignantly that Lizzie was no demon, that she was all that he knew as pure and good and lovely in his world, when Sebastian beat him to it with a statement that quickly threw down any other oppositions Ciel may have had._

" _And besides, my lord, you do forget that the Phantomhive ladies have all had a history of partaking in the Watchdog's duties."_

 _Ciel huffed a moment, considering Sebastian's words._

 _Do you not see the Lady Elizabeth as a suitable partner in crime?"_

" _Why would I need a partner when I have you?"_

" _Don't you think it a tad bit suspicious when all tasks are handled by an ever-present butler? Why, only a fool would not sense something off with the way that I handle everything. It would be beneficial to hiding my true identity if we had a human do some work as well. It makes me seem less..invincible."_

 _Ciel hadn't considered that. Now that he thought about it, having one's butler to run all your tasks for you was highly suspicious. He huffed in return, before bowing his head and playing with the ring on his thumb._

" _I could, and yet, she's..Lizzie. I can't, I can't let anything happen to her." Voice slightly cracking, he continued, "She's all that I have. The one good thing in my dreadful dismal life that I don't deserve. I'm a selfish lord, Sebastian, and I intend to keep what little I have."_

 _Staring up at his butler with hatred in his eyes, he continued. "I do not wish to wake up one morning and find that I have lost the good thing that was ever truly mine."_

" _But my lord, as I have mentioned in our previous conversation, she is in danger regardless of what happens. Don't you think it best for her to be prepared to face this danger?"_

 _Ciel scowled. "You really are quite invested in this, aren't you, demon? I ask again. What is this to you? I have already made it quite clear to you that you cannot eat the Lady Elizabeth. Why are you so persistent, then?"_

" _Given the way that you humans have been making such a big fuss over what a lady should and shouldn't do, it would be quite refreshing for me to see firsthand a lady with a soul of steel."_

" _Whatever do you mean by that?"_

 _Sebastian smiled. "I am merely saying, my lord, that this is bound to be very amusing."_

" _I am hardly a toy for your amusement."_

" _My lord! The very fact that you have given me your soul in return for something as trivial as revenge is the greatest amusement of all."_

" _You are impertinent!"_

 _Ciel slumped further into his seat and closed his eyes, thinking over what had been said between him and his butler. While it was true that he would rather die than risk placing his Lizzie in harm's way, it was also true that she had been bred to be his wife. Just like all the Lady Phantomhives that had passed before her, she no doubt was skilled and trained to handle the same situations he did._

 _It was also true that she was in grave danger regardless of his proximity to her. At the rate that it was going, she would be even more endangered if she did not know what her foe._

 _Yes, indeed, as much as he hated to put his fiancee in harm's way, she had been forged to be wielded as his sword. The gears turned in his head. All he wanted, at that very moment, was to lock her in a tower, safe and away from all the evils of the world. But a sword wastes away on the shelf, devoid of purpose. And that was what Lizzie was: a sword for his taking._

 _He had once wished to marry her, to love her and live his life out happily with her. However, that one night in December had stamped out all of his innocent boyish dreams, replacing them with the dark fire of vengeance and evil._

 _Wait._

 _The gears in his head suddenly stopped, as if having been intruded by a naive bird. He had intended to marry her. To marry her, and raise a family with her. To marry her, raise a family with her, and continue the Phantomhive name._

 _That was a dream that was never to be fulfilled. While he had long since accepted the fact that he would die young without making Lizzie his bride, the thought that the Phantomhive name would cease with his death hadn't occurred._

 _No more Phantomhives. That would be unacceptable._

 _Once Sebastian took his soul, his name would be listed as the last of the Phantomhives. The Watchdog would die, the light of his ring snuffed out and burned into ashes. His line and legacy would undoubtly die._

 _But even after his death, there would still be one Phantomhive left, who could then truly be called the last of the Phantomhives. Elizabeth Phantomhive Midford._

 _Ciel raised his head and looked his butler in the eye._

" _What fields would she need to be trained in?"_

 _Sebastian smiled as he discreetly licked his thin lips. "Yes", he thought, "This would be most delicious."_

* * *

"We've arrived, my lord." Sebastian's calm voice forced Ciel back to reality.

As Sebastian helped Ciel down from the carriage, a high pitched squeal pierced the air as an overly energetic blonde hurricane whirled down the manor steps to greet them.

"CIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!"

Before Ciel could comprehend what was going on, and before his busted ear drums could recover, he found himself being choked to death in a tight embrace and whirled around so fast that bile threatened to rise up his throat. Under normal circumstances, such an action would have been met with nothing but mere annoyance and dismissal on his part. Given what he had just encountered, however, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the physical presence of her warmth, and to Lizzie's surprise, he briefly put one hand on her waist.

"Lizzie."

"Ciel?!" A million confused thoughts danced through Lizzie's head. Ciel had always responded to her affection with nothing but cold impassiveness. She had expected an irritated shove in return, but instead had gotten heavily shrouded warmth. While this small act of recognition was by no means unpleasant, it was one that she definitely was not prepared for. She frowned, putting the back of her hand against his forehead. "Ciel, are you ill?"

Ciel's eyebrows furrowed as a twinge of guilt pulled at his heart. Had he truly been neglecting her this much? An unsettling feeling gnawed at the pit of his stomach. Unable to say anything more, he instead chose to relish the fact that his cousin was alive and whole, and used one hand to pull her forward in an awkward semblance of a hug. Lizzie's eyes widened as she squealed in joy and flung her arms over Ciel's neck. The corners of Ciel's mouth threatened to quirk up.

The tender moment was interrupted as an imposing shadow loomed over the couple.

"Elizabeth!"

As quickly as she had sprung upon him, Lizzie quickly let go of Ciel and scuttled over to her mother's side.

"I have told you this time and time again, Elizabeth, act like a lady! It is so unbecoming of a noblewoman, especially for the future Lady Phantomhive, to act in such an unruly fashion!"

"And you!" she turned her disapproving glare to her young nephew. "As terrible as usual!" In one swift move, she had grabbed Ciel's long fringe and had pulled it back over his face. "Is this how the head of the Phantomhive household fixes himself?" she turned to Sebastian in distaste. " And his butler! The nerve you possess to show your indecent face astounds me, you disgrace of a Phantomhive butler-"

"Now, now, dear, that's quite enough." The Marchioness' spiel was cut short by the arrival of her husband, the Marquis Alexis Midford. The man's jolly face replaced his wife' stern one in Ciel's vision as he was swept up in another bone crushing hug reminiscent of his fiancee's.

"It's good to see you, my dear son!" he cried jovially. Behind him, Edward cleared his throat.

"Father."

It seemed that the Midfords had a talent for cutting each other off. The Marquis moved aside, laughing as he clapped his biological son on the back.

"Now, now, Edward, you're far too stern! Cheer up! That's your future brother-in-law!"

Edward stared back at Ciel, his arms crossed and a look of distaste plastered on to his face.

"Father, please. I have yet to accept this brat as my brother-in-law." Staring Ciel in the eye, he continued, " It will take ages before I can accept you as my little sister's groom! I saw you from the window! You dare lay your filthy hands on my precious little sis-"

Edward was interrupted by his mother putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Edward. That will be enough. While I myself do not approve of such inappropriate and unladylike actions, I will thank you not to inconvenience your cousin any longer."

"Anyway!" the Marquis cut in, clapping his hands. "Let us all go inside. Ciel didn't travel all the way here to get tan and crisp from the sun, now did he? I apologize for our keeping you out here for so long, boy. Do come inside and join us for tea."

"Thank you." Ciel swallowed the bile that threatened to creep up his throat. "Uncle."

* * *

The living room was beautifully furnished, with high white ceiling and comfortable plush chairs. They sat themselves down around the coffee table, which was laden with all sorts of sweets and sandwiches. A maid came over to pour them their tea.

"Now then, Ciel, you did mention that you had something important to talk to us about. What is it?" asked the Marchioness as she delicately picked up a biscuit.

The aforementioned boy took a sip of his tea and placed the cup back on the table. This was it. The moment of truth. In his haste and worry, he had forgotten to plan out how he would request to take his frightful aunt's only daughter away from her. Realizing that all eyes in the room were settled on him, Ciel decided that it was best to just say it straight.

"Marquis Alexis Midford. Marchioness Francis Midford." he took a deep breath and looked them both in the eye. "I have come to request that your daughter, the Lady Elizabeth Midford, come to live with me in my manor as soon as possible."

Lizzie's eyes widened. The Marquis and Marchioness were silent. Edward slammed his fists on the table, fury evident on his face. "Absolutely not! She-"

"Alright."

"What? Mother! You can't possibly be serious! Clearly-"

"It's about time. I have trained Lizzie to be the Watchdog's wife since she was a child." snapped the Marchioness. turning to Ciel, she continued. "I am glad that you have finally found sense."

"What!? But, mother, she's your only daughter, how could you- Father, say something!"

"I'm sorry, Edward, but I'm afraid I must concede with the arrangement. It is an excellent decision, and one a long time coming."

"Father, mother, how could you say such a thing! She's my little sister! You can't just give her away to this brat! He's hardly deserving of her!"

"I will thank you to know your place, Edward. She may be your sister, but she is our daughter as well. We raised her. Don't you trust us to make a proper decision on who she marries? Ciel is your cousin, the son of my dearly departed brother. He is the most deserving of our Lizzie. Never before have I met a boy so willing to protect his fiancee at all costs. If he is not deserving of her, I do not know who is." the Marchioness took a sip of tea before turning to her daughter. "What do you think all of the fencing lessons were for? All of the tutoring? All of the-"

"Mother, please! That isn't cute! That isn't cute at all!" Lizzie squealed, hiding her mortified face in her hands.

"Elizabeth, it's the truth! Cute has no place in the world of the Queen's Watchdog! You have been bred to be his wife since he was born, and you are fully aware of that!", the Marchioness snapped in return.

She turned back to Ciel, a rare smile gracing her regal face. "Your father would be proud."

Ciel pursed his lips as he grasped for words. This was going even better than he had planned. He had had a whole speech prepared in his head in anticipation of their resistance. In all his time planning and predicting his opponent's moves, this was an outcome that he had not foreseen. Maybe Sebastian WAS right after all, the impertinent demon. Maybe the Phantomhive females had indeed been bred for this life.

Lizzie, on the other hand, was speechless and could barely contain herself, hardly able to stop herself from jumping up and hugging everyone in the room: her mother, her father, her brother, and her future husband.

Ciel cleared his throat, hoping that his next words would not turn over their previous decision.

"As you are her parents, I also find it my duty to inform you of my plans for her. As my future wife and the next Lady Phantomhive, I intend to train her so as to be able to handle any duties in my line of work, be it as the Queen's watchdog or as the head of the Funtom Company. Marriage is a binding contract. What is mine will be hers. Aunt, uncle, I hope you do understand that I run a very perilous life. It is the kind of life wherein one mistake can mean the end for us. It is vital for Elizabeth to understand the kind of world she is to enter, should she be my wife. It is essential for both of our survival, as well as that of London and of Funtom."

Alexis smiled and clapped his hand on Ciel's shoulder, the force of the clap shocking him and causing him to spill his tea just a little.

"Well said, my boy. It is every wife's duty to support her husband. I am glad that you find my little girl fitting of such a role. It is indeed vital that she know of this life, so that she may not be ignorant and bring shame to her family."

The corners of Ciel's mouth quirked up a little bit. "Thank you, Uncle."

Edward scowled. "I cannot accept this!"

"Edward, we have been preparing her for this for years!" the Marquis retorted.

Sighing deeply, Edward buried his face in his hand, barely able to contain his sobs. With a tender smile on her face, Lizzie wrapped her arms around her brother.

"Brother, it's okay. Don't worry. I'll be okay." she said soothingly as he sobbed and clung to her dress.

Francis and Alexis looked over at their son with pity before turning back to their nephew.

"When would you like Elizabeth to start living with you?", inquired the Marquis.

"As soon as possible would be preferable.", replied Ciel.

Edward shook his head vigorously as he raised his head to look at Ciel.

"No", he sobbed. "Give us one more week. Just one. Please. It' s hard enough that you are taking my little sister away. Just one week."

"Really, Edward, you're making too big an issue out of this." , remarked the Marchioness.

"They're taking my Lizzie away, mother! How do you expect me to handle this?"

"Brother, it's.."

"You don't understand! And how?! Why? How can you be so calm? Why are you-"

"We are prepared for this! How many times have I told you this? It was all a matter of time! We have been preparing for her to marry the Watchdog since the day that he was born! She has been preparing to be the Lady Phantomhive since she was a child! That is her purpose! The sooner she join him, the sooner she'll learn, and the better for everyone involved!", the Marchioness snapped.

Ciel cleared his throat to interrupt them. "It is alright. I give you the one week. You are her family, after all. I may be her fiance, but you raised her."

Edward sniffed, looking up at Ciel gratefully. "I may never approve of you as my brother-in-law, but I thank you for remembering your place and giving us this consideration."

Ciel merely made a "hmph" sound in reply.

* * *

Lizzie huffed in exhaustion as she fell back onto her bare bed. At the foot of the bed, Paula snapped close the locks on the last luggage trunk in the bare room. The last week had gone by in a flurry of family dinners, hugs, and plenty of tears from Edward.

"Isn't this just great, Lizzie? You'll finally be able to be with Ciel all the time!"

"Oh yes, Paula! We'll finally always be together! It will be so cute!" Lizzie sighed, a dreamy look coming onto her face. "Maybe I'll even be able to make him smile", she added softly. "It's like a dream come true."

A heavy silence hung over the two, Lizzie gazing at the ceiling with a hopeful, lovestruck smile on her face. A few moments passed with both females lost in their own thoughts, until Lizzie suddenly gave an excited squeal and turned over, burying her laughing face in the bare pillow.

"Oh, I just can't wait!" she cried happily. "Paula, the bells!"

"Jingle jingle jingle!"

* * *

 **TL;DR: Ciel isn't sure what to do with Lizzie when she's at his manor, so Sebastian suggests that he train her as his partner. Ciel is reluctant to do so, citing Lizzie's gender and his desire to keep her safe. In the end, Ciel realizes that his death would mark the end of the Phantomhive name and is convinced to take her in.**

 **He goes to the Midfords to ask that Lizzie live with him, and they agree. Apparently, Lizzie has been trained for that position since she was younger.**

 **The chapter ends with Lizzie dreaming about her new life with Ciel as they prepare to leave for the Phantomhive manor.**

* * *

Thank you so much for reading, and for your continued support! Reviews and favs make my day, and inspire me to keep writing. Please do leave a review or two, and don't forget to follow or fav if you're so inclined. Comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism are much appreciated. Thank you so much! 3


	3. His Lady, Entwined

Guess who's back? Back again?!

Sorry for the looong wait, I had some issues with my computer, it crashed and I lost so much of my progress, not to mention that college has really been kicking me in the butt lately.

Shoutout to my betas blackbutler415, Phantomhive Child, and Td03 for all their help and support. Shoutout to Td03 for helping me with the title of this chappie. Check out their works!

Also, as much as I wish I did, I don't own Kuroshitsuji.

* * *

The clock chimed 1 as a bespectacled maid ran through the halls of the mansion.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!", she muttered to herself as she raced down to the lobby, a bottle of cleaner and a bundle of rags in her arms. The young master's fiancee was arriving today, and Mey-Rin just had to shine an entire banister with shoe polish before Sebastian had walked by and remarked on the banister being as black as he.

That had led to the current situation, with the redhead rushing to clean one hell of a banister. If she was lucky, she could probably have the banister looking normal just in time for the arrival of a certain blonde noble lady.

Luck, however, was not on her side as she was soon caught up in a spinning blonde and pink hurricane once she got to the lobby. Rags and cleaning supplies flew and splashed everywhere as she was spun at a dizzying speed.

"My lady, my lady, please!"

Desperate pleas from the door of the mansion were ignored as the unfortunate maid was finally set down, only to be faced with the smiling face of Lady Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford as a pair of fluffy pink rabbit ears was plopped unceremoniously onto her head.

"There you go! So cute!" came the excited squeal as Mey-Rin stared around owlishly.

"My lady, please, you must control yourself…"

Paula sighed as her pleas were once again ignored as the hyperactive blonde raced up the stairs.

* * *

Lizzie, on the other hand, was on cloud nine. She was already racing aimlessly down the corridor when she realized that she did not know where she was going, having raced into and up the mansion in her haste and excitement to see Ciel. Her heart beat wildly as giddiness overcame her very being with every hurried step she took. After all those gray winter years of misery as he shut her out, she felt as if God had finally heard her prayer and had now let her into the Eden that was Ciel's life. Her heart swelled at the thought. Had her years of pining and effort finally borne fruition? Had she finally done something right, something enough to garner his attention?

Reaching the great wooden door of her fiancee's office, she raised her hand to knock just as Sebastian opened the door, bowing deeply at the waist upon seeing her.

"My deepest apologies for not meeting you at the door, Lady Elizabeth. You have arrived earlier than expected."

"Oh, no, no! It's quite alright, really!" Lizzie cried, growing red in the face as she fumbled for words. This was bad. This was so, so bad. How embarrassing! This wasn't cute at all! Sebastian must now think that she was scary and serious, just like her mother!

"I'm so sorry" she blurted out hurriedly in a panic. "I was just so excited to come!"

"It's quite alright, really, Lizzie, there's no need to be flustered." came Ciel's voice as he stepped out from behind Sebastian. "I'd expect nothing more from the future wife of the Queen's Watchdog." Lizzie's eyes lit up as she took in the regal figure of the one boy whom she considered to be her entire world.

"Ciel!", she cried, running forward to capture him in a bone crushing hug. Her hapless victim gasped for breath as her arms tightened around him, but he allowed himself a small smile as he briefly touched her hip with one hand. Seeing this, the demon standing behind the boy's angel chuckled as Ciel shot him a sharp glare.

"Oh, Ciel, this is wonderful! Thank you so so so so so SO much for having me around, Ciel, I'm so very happy!"

"That's good to hear" Ciel replied in his typical monotone voice, not missing the way that Lizzie's brilliant smile fell at the sound of his usual reserved demeanor. Offering his arm to Lizzie, he turned and walked towards the desk, helping her into one of the seats across it.

"Please do have a seat, Lizzie, we have much to discuss."

Lizzie sank into the plush red chair with a feeling of dread sinking into the pool of her stomach. Ciel walked around to the chair behind the desk and sat down, a serious look on his face. Lizzie wrung her hands in her laps, worry and fear whirling in her mind. Was he having second thoughts about her? Had he suddenly decided that she was too much of an annoyance and was now about to throw her away?

"Sebastian, leave us."

"Yes, my lord.", came the reply as the butler bowed and exited the room.

Ciel placed his hands solemnly together before looking up and into the worried face of his fiance, who kept her gaze fixed downwards with worry. Finally, she found the courage to speak, breaking the silence with her soft, worried tone.

"Ciel, what's the matter? Is anything wrong?"

Ciel shook his head. "You need not worry, Elizabeth. Now, you are aware that you are to be my wife, yes?"

At those words, Lizzie perked up visibly, the stern lines that had seemed so ill-placed on her young, delicate face disappearing completely.

"Yes! Of course Ciel!"

"You are aware of what comes with being the wife of the Queen's watchdog, yes?"

At Lizzie's innocent, wide eyed expression, Ciel could merely sigh.

"Elizabeth, being my wife is no easy task. This is a dangerous world that I rule over. By marrying me, you expose yourself to the atrocities of this world. It is not a world that I am about to allow you to enter into unarmed. As I had mentioned to your parents, the smallest mistake on your part as Lady Phantomhive could spell absolute disaster for the Phantomhive name. Do you understand?"

Lizzie nodded wordlessly, her eyes wide and her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Had her hopes been raised for naught? Had Ciel grown tired of her? Had he suddenly decided that her antics were too childish and unworthy of notice? Was she about to be cast aside like a puppy that had outgrown his amusement?

"The role of Lady Phantomhive is a difficult three part role: by marrying into the Phantomhive name, you acquire not only the Phantomhive household and name, but also the Funtom company along with the added burden of being an Aristocrat of Evil. This is not an easy task, and only the strongest of women can uphold this burden."

"This is what you get from marrying me, Lizzie. Are you still sure of it? Can you uphold your role?"

Lizzie nodded, maybe a bit too enthusiastically.

A flicker of pride and approval appeared in the deep blue of Ciel's eyes. "I am glad. Now, while you may not have the title officially, you are soon to be the Lady Phantomhive." With that, he reached under the table and took out a small box.

Speaking with all the seriousness he could muster in his small frame, he looked Lizzie square in the eye. "You must be sure of this, Lizzie. I repeat, this is a difficult role to uphold. Are you willing to do this? Not out of obligation for our engagement, but from your own personal volition?"

"I am willing, Ciel. Anything for you."

"Do you accept this duty and responsibility?"

"I do, Ciel."

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as slid the box over to her. It was a red velvet box with a golden clasp, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. Given its size and shape, there was only one thing that it could possibly hold. With shaking fingers and bated breath, Lizzie undid the clasp and flipped it open.

There, sitting on the white satin, was the most brilliant emerald that Lizzie had ever seen. Picking it up, she discovered that it had been set to be an almost exact replica of the Phantomhive ring that she had broken years before, the only difference being the emerald that sat in the place of the sapphire.

So overwhelmed was she by the gesture that she did not notice that Ciel had gingerly plucked the ring out of her hands and was now awkwardly slipping it onto her finger.

"This emerald has been cut from the same emerald as the Moghul Emerald from India, which is believed to bear the words of their gods. I had it set to look exactly like the ring I bear. My ring marks me as the Queen's Watchdog, as the Lord of the House of Phantomhive. However, blue seems too sullen a color for you. You are green, the vibrancy of life. I had this made for you as a mark of the Lady of the House of Phantomhive. While this ring is a mark of the House of Phantomhive, the emerald serves to remind you that you are more than just your titles. Above being a Midford-Phantomhive, you are also the Lady Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia."

He paused for a moment, letting the pads of his fingers linger a moment on her knuckle before pulling away, looking away from her in an attempt to conceal the heated blush that threatened to climb up porcelain cheeks.

"You will be trained to be Lady Phantomhive, partner in the Funtom Company and wife of the Queen's Watchdog. But please do remember that you are more than just these titles. Beyond all that, you are still Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Phantomhive Midford."

He paused in his words, the sudden thumping of his heart disturbing him, like a fat little rabbit bounding through the grass.

A reverent silence hung in the air as both nobles lost themselves in the glimmer of their own hearts. As Lizzie's breath caught in the light of the sudden, affectionate action, Ciel fought within himself to retain his compusure, doing his best to ignore the irrational giddiness that rose within him as he watched Lizzie's eyes shine to mirror the emerald's glitter. In that moment, to Ciel, her eyes were far grander, far brighter, than any emerald he could ever buy.

However, now was not the time for such sentiments. There were matters at hand. Composing himself quickly, Ciel clasped his hands before him on the desk, donning once more the mask of cold and civility that he always wore.

"Since you have agreed, I hope you do not mind that I have taken the liberty of making arrangements with regards to your training. I trust that you are well versed enough in the mannerisms and conduct befitting a lady of your status, yes?"

Lizzie grinned and nodded, bouncing slightly in her seat.

That strange feeling bubbled once more within Ciel's chest as it threatened to quirk up the corners of his lips. "I would have expected no less of you, Lizzie, you have, of course, been bred to be the perfect noblewoman." And, with the grace expected from a noble of his position, Ciel stood and walked over to the grand window, facing the vast expanse of his estate.

"As Lady Phantomhive, this will all be yours. You will have to learn manage the household, as befitting a lady of your status. You will need to be the perfect hostess, the perfect wife, a noblewoman fit for the name of Phantomhive." A rare fondness crossed his face as he turned back to her. "I am confident that you are well versed in this area, Lizzie."

That alien emotion bubbled up once more in the pit of his stomach as she nodded a little too eagerly, a large smile on her face as her eyes twinkled with excitement. He knew what she was thinking. She was planning all of the balls and parties that she would soon be able to hold as Lady Phantomhive. The thought of all those socials and all those people brought a sour taste to his mouth, and yet image of that smile she flashed as she imagined her fun quickly doused the unpleasant weight on his tongue. The sight of her smile, as always, made him feel like smiling and laughing and dancing, wishing to forget his revenge for that small amount of time.

Mentally shaking his head for allowing his thoughts to scatter due to a mere smile, a mere twitching of lips, he made his way back to his chair and sat down, clasping his hands together once more, looking every bit the image of the serious businessman and Earl that he was. This was serious business, and business that she was getting involved in, as much as he despised the thought. Now was not the time to think of joy or smiles or sunshine. The ever growing pile of sums and letters on the left side of his desk made sure of that. Turning his attention back to the ever jovial blonde in front of him, he continued.

"When we are married, you will have access to and shares in the Funtom Company. I intend to make you my partner in this business as well. As a partner in the Funtom Company, you cannot afford to be naïve in business matters. Funtom is quite a large, reputable company, and there are many who look to it for sponsorships, competition, and the like. As an expanding business empire, Funtom also owns stocks and bonds in various companies and factories. We continue to create new investments, and cut any ties with any parties that are not returning any profit. To this end, I have assigned Sebastian to teach you the fundamentals of economics, management, and mathematics. The Phantomhive name and reputation is attached not only to our title, but also to this company. Even if you were not to accept the position as my partner in the company, it is every bit as important for you to understand how to run and protect this company, lest any dirty dealers attempt to use your naivety to bring down our business empire, which, in turn, would sully our title."

He glanced back up to Lizzie, noting the overwhelmed expression on her face. Ciel sighed, once more reconsidering his options. Was he really so cruel as to inflict this on to her? As far as he knew, Lizzie was quite the sheltered noble lady. While it was quite unheard to hear of a lady knowledgeable in the fields of mathematics and business, he had assumed that Lizzie, having been raised to be a Phantomhive, would have had at least a little background in numbers. At least, he hoped that she knew some basic arithmetic and could at least do basic addition and subtraction.

Looking at her with his one eye, he was reminded quickly that he was bound to die sooner rather than later, and, in his demise, the company and all its shares would go to her as his fiance and closest living relative. It was important for her to be prepared for the burden he was about to inflict upon her, the salt being rubbed into the wound of his departure.

As his last living relative and fiance, it was highly likely, as well, that she would eventually have to bear upon her delicate shoulders the weight of being an aristocrat of evil.

"As the wife of the Queen's Watchdog, you will with no doubt be in embroiled with the depths of the Underworld. The people we are dealing with are the lowest of the low, the blackest and most dangerous of criminals. Even if you have no part in a case, there will still be many who will be after your life, be it for blackmail or ransom. In such a case, it will be necessary for you to be able to defend yourself against such characters. I am aware that you are skilled in fencing-"

A sharp intake of breath broke him from his monologue as he looked up to see Lizzie's horrified expression. No doubt, she was remembering the time on the Campania, when she had been forced to reveal her unexpected abilities.

"Lizzie, please. Now is not the time to worry about cute. This is a serious matter. You will need to be strong, Lizzie for both of us."

He made his way over to her and gently picked up her gloved hand. It was cold and shaky in his, the dampness of her palms seeping through the thin fabric.

"Lizzie, please understand. Your fencing is a valuable tool, and one that we must cultivate. Being the Queen's Watchdog is, by far, the most taxing and dangerous part of being a Phantomhive. I can only assume that you were taught how to fence in line with this demanding role that only you can take. Your mother did remark along such lines."

Lizzie cast her eyes down to her lap. An awkward curtain of silence befell the couple. As the minutes ticked by with neither of them unable to say a word, Ciel, unsure of what to do or say to alleviate the situation, decided that the only thing he could possibly do was to continue. Breaking the silence, he awkwardly cleared his throat to get her attention.

"As I was saying, your ability to fence is one that we must hone. Other than fencing, I have also tasked Sebastian to educate you in regards to the use of logic and philosophy so that you may be able to understand and assist me in the cases thrown in by the Queen. Such is the burden you undertake by sharing my title."

Having finished his speech, Ciel reluctantly let go of her quivering hand, looking awkwardly to the side as she kept her gaze low.

After a brief moment of silence, Lizzie spoke up.

"Ciel, this...this all seems to be too much. I...I don't know if I can do it, Ciel."

Ciel sighed, putting his hands on her shoulders, the weight of his hands little in comparison to the weight on his heart and the weight he was about to lay on to her fragile shoulder. Feeling her tremble slightly beneath his hold, he looked her straight in the eye.

"Do you love me, Lizzie?"

Lizzie's breath caught at Ciel's words.

"I do, Ciel, more than anything."

Never taking his eyes off of hers, he leaned forward, lowering his voice to what may have been taken as a tone of affection.

"Will you help me, then, Lizzie?"

"I know that this is truly quite a lot to take in, but do not think that I am trying to change you, Lizzie. I know what you are capable of. I know who you really are. I do not know why you are hiding yourself from me, but I suppose it was because of what I said before. But Lizzie, your strength is beautiful. It is nothing to be ashamed of. I am just trying to bring out what you truly are capable of, and who you really are."

Hesitantly, she nodded.

Ciel exhaled, and, letting go of her, took one last look at her fragile figure. Could he really possibly turn such a cute, delicate creature into his Queen of the Underworld? Truth be told, all that he wanted to do at that moment was to gather her in his arms and protect her from all the darkness and evil in the world. Leave her pure, leave her unstained.

However, as painful as it was, it had to be done. The world was not fair, after all, having cast a 10 year old boy into the pits of hell before he had even been able to taste the true fruits of life. Soon, the pure, delicate creature before him would have to be tainted with the harsh cruelties of a world filled with selfishness, greed, and betrayal.

"That will be all. Sebastian."

At that very moment, just as he had said his name, the butler appeared, holding open the door for Lizzie. Composing herself quickly, she stood up and smoothed down her skirt, making her way to the door. At the door, however, she was stopped in her tracks by Ciel's voice.

"Oh, and Lizzie, starting today, this is your home as well. If there is anything that you want, or need, to make yourself feel more at home, just tell me." He turned back to her. "Just PLEASE don't turn everything pink."

As Sebastian closed the door behind her, he turned back to his master with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Why, young master, that was quite a heartfelt speech that you gave. I didn't know you were capable of such a thing."

"Shut up. Such an appeal to ethos is needed to move your pieces into position. I highly doubt that Lizzie would be able to move into her position, had I not appealed to her in that way." he sighed, "I don't think she'd be too happy to do it otherwise. Regardless, given the fact that her damn fiancee has sold his soul to a demon, I doubt that she'd be happy either way. It would really be easier on her this way. She may hate me now, but at least she wouldn't just find herself having been blindly thrust to the wolves when the time comes."

Sebastian chuckled.

"Your strength is beautiful", he said mockingly . He chuckled again, hiding it behind a gloved hand. At the very next instant, a hand collided with his cheek.

"Shut! Up!"

* * *

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and finally, the sun had set and Lizzie found herself preparing for bed. She sat herself at her large vanity, humming to herself as she ran a brush through her long, golden locks.

Ciel had not spoken much to her at supper, but as far as she knew, it was nothing outside of what she was used to. Ciel barely spoke to her, after all. Sometimes she wondered if he ever even cared about her at all. Many nights had passed wherein she lay in bed wondering if he ever spared so much as a fleeting thought about her. Many days had passed when she had questioned her value, or lack of, to her Ciel. She had often wondered if Ciel was really hers.

He barely ever seemed to notice her, regardless of whatever she did to try to get his attention, or make him happy. If anything, he seemed to be displeased by her very presence. Could it be because he had already lost his heart to another? Could he merely be tolerating her presence and efforts, when all the while he loved another?

These thoughts, however, was quickly dispelled as she remembered how he had looked at her with such tenderness, and had gone so far as to invite her to live with him in his home. Yes, all she needed were those eyes looking at her with such kindness, and she'd be satisfied.

The butterflies in her stomach soon dispersed, however, once she remembered the responsibility she had been entrusted with. Her beloved had requested for her to be a partner, for her to be strong and intelligent. He had asked her to be everything that she was not supposed to be. Blonde eyebrows knit in confusion. He was asking her to go against what she had believed her whole life, reinforced day by day as the words sunk into her brain as her corset strings tightened around her waist.

What were girls made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice.

Such wisdom had been taught to every girl in the land of roses. A lady must be cute and helpless in the presence of her lord. A lady had no place knowing of the dark shadows of the world. A lady should be bathed in nothing but beauty and kindness.

Girls were made of sugar and spice and all things nice.

Lizzie, however, had been made of steel and sweat, a most unadorable visage covered in the frills of silk and lace.

After so many years of hiding who she was and what she was made of, she was now being made to show the monster she had kept draped in satin. It had all started on that wretched liner, when she had been forced to show her prowess with the sword.

She had been so frightened at that moment, completely forgetting her facade, thinking only of the safety of her beloved.

And that one moment of weakness had led to a crack in the porcelain mask that she wore, a crack that threatened to break through everything she had built up for Ciel's sake.

She twisted her lip in worry, her hand finding its way to a coin that sat on the vanity. Resting her chin on her hand in a most unladylike fashion, she spun the coin between her fingers.

As the coin spun, so did her thoughts.

Lizzie had, in truth, shown great prowess in mathematics, and was actually considered to be quite the prodigy by her tutors. Upon witnessing Edward's shock and amazement as she effortlessly solved the assignment he had pondering over for days, however, she had come to the conclusion that her skill with math was not one that was considered cute or ladylike. A lady, after all, should be weak and cute, should she not? Her skills in mathematics were definitely not those of a lady. The looks of intimidation on the faces of Edward's schoolmates made sure that there was no mistaking it.

She didn't even want to think about her skill in fencing. She didn't even want to think of the fear and humiliation that crossed boys' faces when she removed her helmet. Her skills in mathematics and the like, at least, she could hide. But her physical prowess?

Walking over to the grand mirror in her room, she raised her arms with a frown, staring with disapproval at the defined muscles in her arms. Her lips tightening even further, she raised the heavy pink silk of her nightgown, the delicate, feminine fabric making way to reveal strong calves covered in lean muscle.

Her mental prowess, she could hide. It was very easy for her to cover it with a veil of adorable naivety, but no amount of silk and satin could possibly erase the unladylike curves on her. She was hard where a lady should be soft. Her eyes misted up.

She had tried so hard to be the perfect lady. For Ciel, and for everyone else, she had tried to suppress herself.

Poetry over philosophy. Embroidery rather than cooking. Dance instead of chess. Be an unknowing angel.

Every girl born in the land of the roses knew these words.

She, however, had been raised differently. She had been given a rapier when she should have been given a needle; Descartes when she should have been given Petrarch.

She had been turned into what would not have been a proper English lady. She had been turned into a strong scary wife, the kind that Ciel did not like, the kind of wife that she had been trying not to be all this time.

Now, the very boy whom she had gone through all the trouble of hiding it all from was asking her to be everything that she knew he hated. The very boy whom she loved with all her heart was asking her to help him with the strength she knew he feared.

Wouldn't that turn her into a strong, scary wife? The kind that he did not like? Lizzie was not one to question Ciel, but at this point, her mind was in a hurricane.

What if she followed everything Ciel gave her, only for him to realize that she was the kind of woman he was frightened of?

Would he leave her then? The very thought pierced its icy blade into her soul.

Yes, she would do anything for Ciel. She would give her life for him, if need be. But could she do what he wanted her to do? Could she possibly shatter the mask that he knew her by? Could she risk losing him?

Her immediate answer, of course, was yes. Anything for him, anything for his smile. But within that first wave of sentiment rippled the churnings of an unknown, paralyzing fear. It was a feeling she couldn't explain, her iron will to please and protect him suddenly cracking as her very being surged in a tumultuous sea of panic.

Ciel most likely didn't know what he was asking for, did he? He just..he didn't know what she was capable of. He didn't know the terror that he was about to get, should she agree to his terms.

There was no way that Lizzie could possibly break out of the facade that she had carefully built up to this point.

While it was true that she had been trained, as far as she could remember, to be a strong wife to protect Ciel, and had been told many times that she had to be the Wife of the Queen's Watchdog, it was quite different hearing it from Ciel himself.

There was no way that he could possibly accept her in such an uncute fashion. All of this had to be a test. Yes, it most probably was a test. He was testing her to see just how uncute she was, to see if she truly was worthy of being his wife.

Trickery, after all, was a specialty of the Queen's Watchdog.

Sighing to herself as her thoughts muddled over and over, twisting and winding themselves into a murky mess of confusion. As she agonized over the conflict in her head, a small sparkle drew her away from the shambles of her mind. Looking down at the sparkle, she caught sight of the emerald on her finger. Sighing once more, she turned her hand over, watching as the emerald caught the light. To her distraught mind, the glimmer of the emerald almost looked like a glimmer of hope.

She was to be the wife of the Queen's Watchdog, the Lady Phantomhive. Was it not a wife's duty to support her husband? Was it not a wife's duty to help her husband so that he may shine brightly in the eyes of society?

Was it not a wife's duty to make her husband proud?

Oh, how Lizzie wished to make Ciel proud, to be proud to call her his wife. She would go to the ends of the earth, if it meant bringing out his smile. She would gladly slay all his enemies, if it meant that he may feel the gentle rays of sunshine in the dismal winter of his heart.

As that thought entered the valley of her mind, she stopped short, feeling light-headed and nauseous.

She was confused.

She was willing to do all of this for her beloved, and yet there was one single thought that pulled her back, like chains to a wall.

She couldn't possibly do that for Ciel. She couldn't, she just couldn't!

A wife's duty was to complement her husband, not outshine him.

How could she ever possibly be what he had asked her to be? On that note, what did he truly want her to be?

Did he want her as a lady, a silken wife to take pride in and shown to society? Or did he want her as a shield, a wife of steel to protect him?

With such thoughts running through her head, Lizzie buried herself in fluffy pink blankets, and clutching her bitter rabbit, shut her eyes.

* * *

A while after, as Morpheus took over her consciousness and the English winds churned the air, her door slowly swung open as a little boy in his nightdress crept into the room, his black butler following behind with a candlestick in hand. Soft footsteps fell onto the plush carpet as Ciel made his way to her bed, falling to his knees beside it and reverently brushing a stray lock on her face.

Behind him, the demon chuckled.

"Why, my lord, you kneel before her as a man kneels before his god."

Ciel shook his head. "No. Si deus relinquit, ego deum relinquo. If God has forsaken me, then I shall forsake God too. I've given up any chances to enter the gates of Paradise. Every time I see you, every time that I see my eye in the mirror, I am reminded that I am damned. But Lizzie, Lizzie...is pure, beautiful. Damned for all time as I am, she is my savior. She is my everything, for she is all that I truly have. She is my queen, my angel, my goddess, and I worship at her altar. She alone has never forsaken me."

His gaze softened as he took in her features, leaning forward to softly brush his lips over her forehead before pulling back quickly as if burned, face flushing at the weakness he had just shown to his butler. The butler's nostrils flared at the scent of turmoil seeping into his master's soul.

"I can't believe she's actually here. I'm just glad that she's here. Glad that she's alive.", came Ciel's soft, wistful voice as he gently caressed her cheek.

"You say that you are glad for her to be alive, my lord, but with what you had just dumped on her, how could you say that she could truly be happy?"

Ciel's soul twisted in torment as he mulled the words over in his mind.

"After all, a life without true happiness is one worse than death."

Ciel's blood froze in his veins as he took in the demon's words. His heart beat painfully within his ribs as he saw red.

"You bastard! You're the one who suggested this!"

"Yes, I did say that she would be useful, my lord, but I never said that she'd be happy, did I? As far as I am concerned, my lord, you are all that matters. I care not about what this means for her."

Ciel's heart stopped as regret and despair made his way into his soul. In a fit of frustration and betrayal, he pushed past his butler, quickly making his way out of the room.

"My, my, such an impatient boy.", the butler chuckled. "So quick and impulsive. Why, he didn't even notice that I could have dropped this candlestick over his goddess. But then again, if I couldn't even prevent a candle from hitting a few sheets, just what kind of butler would I be?"

Kneeling down so that his face was on par with Lizzie's, assuming the previous position of his master, he smiled and took a whiff of her soul.

The sweet scent of innocence and purity, mixed in with swirls of pain and the beginnings of a storm of despair and confusion, hit his nose in that one instant.

Absolutely delicious.

"I look forward to what you will bring about, my dear. My master may have knelt before you as a man to his god, but I kneel before you as a demon savoring his prize."

And, with another sinister smile, he blew out the candle, engulfing the room in darkness.

* * *

A/N

Ladies, if a guy you're dating tries to impose on you the same way that Ciel just did in this chapter (getting a tutor for you without your permission, deciding on what you'll do, etc), YOU RUN THE FUCK AWAY, ya hear me?

I wrote Ciel this way because, well, he's Ciel, and this IS Victorian England we are talking about. But I'll be the first to tell you that what he did isn't really healthy in a relationship.

Also, some parts of this (especially those that said about what a Victorian era girl must be like) aren't mine. They came from Lizzie's flashback during the Campania arc.

The lines "Si deus me relinquet, ego deum relinquo" come from the song Si Deus Me Relinquet, which is from the OST of Kuroshitsuji season 1.

Please do fav or follow if you're so inclined! Comments make my day, and honestly, it was from the support that your comments gave me that I found the drive to keep this going. Thank you to everyone following my work, and big big thank you for all your comments and support! Mahal na mahal ko kayong lahat! (I love you all very much)


	4. VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"Hi guys./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"First of all, I'd like to apologize for putting off this fic for so long. Truth be told, I was planning to publish the next chapter within a month of releasing the last chapter, but then some life stuff happened which made it very difficult to keep writing. Add to that the fact that my computer actually ended up crashing which erased a lot of what I had written, and I was so frustrated with it that I couldn't bring myself to look at it again and start from scratch (more or less)./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"I finally got the time and motivation to keep writing, but then shit happened./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"And that shit is/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"Kuroshitsuji Chapter 130./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"Without spoiling too much of it, the latest chapter rendered this fiction completely null and void./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"With that in mind, I would like to ask you, dear readers, on what you think I should do with this fic./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"Should I drop it in light of the recent reveal, or should I keep continuing, but set it in an alternate universe where the events of Chapter 130 don't take place?/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"I actually had quite a lot planned for this fic and to be honest this is my first major fanfic so I don't know how it's going./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"If you guys think that I should continue it, the next chapter should be up within the month./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"Thank you so much and I'm sorry for everything./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"xxx,/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 11.2px;"Lakandula/p 


	5. His Lady, Conflicted

**Hi guys, I'm back! Don't worry, I'm not dead. I am terribly sorry for the delay.**

 **As I think I mentioned in my previous author's note, the sudden reveal in Kuroshitsuji threw me completely off course, and I strongly considered dropping this fiction due to disparities in the current canon.**

 **Thanks to you guys, however, this story was saved as I made the decision to push through with it. I am still currently deciding whether to completely ignore canon, or to integrate it in later parts of the story. For now, let's just assume that that whole situation doesn't exist, aryt?**

 **Despite that decision, my initial hesitation and shock left me completely blank. I would stare at my laptop for days, unable to write, unable to think. I could no longer find it in me to continue the story, and thus I put it on hold until I was able to find inspiration for it.**

 **Now, you may be saying, "but Lakandula you had all that time to work on it before the reveal!"**

 **I...actually have an explanation for that.**

 **My laptop crashed, and all my files got deleted.**

 **Including all files for Sua Regina, Suus Gladius.**

 **I had to start again from scratch, which greatly frustrated me and also made me put it off in anger. College is a bitch as well, which definitely did not help.**

 **I also had some personal problems, including stupid self esteem issues that made me question my writing abilities and whether or not I should even continue writing. This furthered the delay.**

 **To be honest, I would have given up on this if not for some of my good friends who helped me get through everything and push me to keep going.**

 **I dedicate this chapter to them: to Hazel, Diego, and Robert, who have also very kindly beta'd this chapter.**

 **I would also like to dedicate this chapter to you, my dear readers, who encouraged me to keep this story alive. Your comments and messages greatly helped to revive this.**

 **Now in advance, I know that this probably will sound like a filler chapter to you guys, but I promise, it actually does have a purpose in tying in the story.**

 **Anyway, that's enough from me.**

 **Happy New Year y'all!**

 **Lakandula, out!**

* * *

Meanwhile, Lizzie dreamt.

She dreamt that she was in a blazing inferno; unable to move, unable to see. She was trapped on a frightful stage of angry yellows and reds that danced madly to a wild, screaming orchestra of torment, to strings of anguish and the harsh drums of terror.

Lizzie watched this menacing performance through a lens of pain and fear, the bright glare piercing her vision as the heat ate away at the very marrow of her bones.

The salt of her sweat stung at her eyes, and sparked at her tongue.

From within the howl of the flames rang out a single, ominous sound.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Furrowing her brow, Lizzie lifted her head to find the source of the sound, only to duck her head down almost immediately at the bright light that greeted her, forcing her to look down and see the flames lapping dangerously close to her night gown.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound was getting closer, and a shadow soon loomed ominously over her.

Silence then reigned save for the sound of Lizzie's own frantically beating heart.

Apprehensively, Lizzie slowly opened her eyes, recoiling in shock as she registered before her a sight so incredibly familiar and yet so foreign: a pair of hauntingly recognizable eyes staring back at her, burning with a lusty passion the likes of which she had never seen before.

Green eyes. Her own eyes.

Time seemed to stop around Lizzie as green met green, as the eyes of the lion met the eyes of the deer.

"Who...are you?"

She whispered out, her voice seemingly snatched away by Phobos himself.

Pink lips before her curled into a smirk at Lizzie's words.

"Don't be silly. I am you."

The creature before her took another step towards her as Lizzie instinctively recoiled in shock and fear.

"The daughter of the leader of the British knights, Marquis Alexis Midford."

Tap.

Another step taken towards the trembling girl.

"The wife of the Queen's Watchdog."

Tap. Tap.

The visage stood directly in front of her, their faces mere centimeters away from each other.

"I am Elizabeth."

Frightened eyes widened as Lizzie took an instinctive step backwards, a sharp hiss leaving her lips as the flames painfully kissed her skin.

Even in the tumult of her fear and confusion, even throught the blistering heat and the pain that had stung her, a single, solitary thought managed to cross Lizzie's mind, sharp and clear as day.

"No. You...you can't be me."

Her voice shook as she spoke, and yet, her conviction remained strong.

"You aren't cute."

Indeed, the creature before would not have been recognized as the Lizzie that Ciel knew and, hopefully, loved.

The cute pigtails that she had so adored now spilled into loose ringlets that barely kissed her shoulders, the brilliant gold having darkened into an inky midnight black.

No longer did this creature possess the chubby, adorable cheeks that had been so adored by the older ladies of the court.

Her entire body, her entire being exuded strength, and Lizzie shook, even as the visage before her chuckled.

"What do you mean? I am you. And you are me."

"No.." Lizzie breathed out in response. "I could never be you."

"What do you mean? I am no other than you. I am Lady Elizabeth!"

"IT'S LIZZIE!"

Lizzie cried out, those two words cutting through her teary, frightened confusion.

The winds howled in response, the roar of the flames seemingly growing louder as the spectre grasped her chin, forcing her frightened, watery viridiscent orbs to meet flaming green.

"Why do you insist on calling yourself that?!" she screamed into Lizzie's face.

"Why do you call yourself something as childish, something as insignificant, as plebian, as Lizzie?! You are Elizabeth! You were named after a queen, a queen who had led Britain into its golden age, the Queen who defeated the forces of the Spanish Armada! You were named after a figure of strength, a figure of wisdom! Why then must you force yourself into this...this act? Why then must you sully your name with this pretense of vulnerability? This isn't who you are!"

Tears sprung up in Lizzie's eyes as the girl before her spoke, a strangled sound leaving her lips as she choked on her own words.

"It's for Ciel...it's all for Ciel! It's for hi-"

Her words were cut short as a sharp sting bloomed through her cheek, as the palm of this twisted visage of herself, this imposter who stood as the very antithesis of everything Lizzie wanted to be, made hard contact with her cheek, and Lizzie was reduced to silence, her bright green eyes wide in shock at the sudden sharp kiss of skin against skin.

"Are you stupid?!" The visage cried out at her in frustration. "This is not what Ciel wants you to be! Don't you understand?! He outright told you, he wants you to be me! He wants you to be who you really are, not this childish farce!"

"NO!" Lizzie screamed out in terror. "You're lying! It can't be! It can't be!"

It can't be. It can't be. It can't be.

The words repeated themselves like a mantra in her head, like a prayer as she pleaded to be released from this nightmare.

And, it seemed, the gods had heard her plea, as , with a startled gasp, frightened green eyes shot open to the darkness of the still evening.

A dream.

It had all been a dream.

The roaring flames, the screeching inferno: it had all been a dream.

The heat of the flames had been replaced by the warmth of her sheets; the scream of the monster that had taken upon her form replaced by the soothing hoots of the owls outside her window. The gentle English breeze replaced howling winds. The blinding glare of the inferno, replaced by the comforting glow of the moonlight cast upon her skin.

A dream. It all had been but a dream, and yet, so surreal.

A dream. It all had been but a dream, and yet, so real.

What had she just seen?

Abandoning the warm embrace of her sheets, Lizzie slipped out of bed and padded over to the mirror that sat on the opposite side of the room. The fuzz of the carpet underneath her crept between her toes, the sheer physicality of it assuring her that she was, indeed, in the land of the living.

A familiar image awaited her on the surface of the mirror.

An image that she had seen day after day.

An image that showed her reality, that showed what she really was, and what should be.

A proper English lady stood before her on the polished glass.

Adorable and cute, with a river of gold that cacaded past her waist.

Bright green eyes shone vibrantly with life, unstained by pain, untouched by any ferocity.

The fiance of the Queen's watchdog stood proudly upon the glass, and Lizzie smiled, the image before her mimicking the minute movement.

Lizzie's hands reached up, fisting her flaxen locks into two bundles on either side of her hair, watching the figure before her duplicate the action.

This was who she was: pigtails and ribbons and pink rosy cheeks.

She couldn't be scary. She just couldn't be.

That...that thing, that sacrilage of her image, that monster that claimed to be her: she could never possibly be that.

She could never have the gold of her hair, of her soul, corrupted with the stains of the underworld. She could never have the light of her sun darkened into the black of night.

Ciel may traverse in the darkness of the valley of evil, and Lizzie was to be the sun that lit his way.

And yet, in the pure emerald green of her eyes swirled a dark undercurrent of pain.

Images rushed to her mind then, images of a mansion bright in flames, taking with it all dreams and hopes that she may have had.

Images of a dark, dismal funeral, of a black dress in the stead of her pink as she stood before a cold stone bearing the name of her beloved.

Images of a reunion, of the sun shining once more over her life as her sky was returned to her.

Images of her sky turning dark with anger, turning dark with pain and misery.

Images of her clear blue sky twisting into a dark, fearsome storm.

And as such images filled her head, the image of the perfect lady that stood before her; the image of Lady Lizzie Midford, began to slowly crack and fragment.

A lady should not know anything of pain.

A lady should not know anything of anguish.

A lady should not know anything of hardship.

A lady should remain uncorrupted by darkness.

Such words drummed into her head, chanted like a mantra inside her head, until they were soon drowned out by another voice, a voice that she knew well.

 _"En garde!"_

 _"Attack au fer."_

 _"Parry!"_

 _"Advance."_

A voice echoing in the halls wherein she should have danced the waltz.

 _"Croisé"_

 _"Flèche."_

 _"Prise de fer!"_

A voice shouting words that no proper noblewoman should know the meaning of.

 _"Corps-a-corps!"_

Corps-a-corps: physical contact between two fencers.

A foul.

And just like the corps-a-corps, her femininity had made contact with the sharp bite of steel; a hardness she never should have known.

She was female: she was meant to be soft, gentle.

A mother, a wife, a lady.

That was all that she was meant to be, that was what she was destined for.

From the moment she was born, she had been taught that her place was at her husband's side.

Her hands were made to hold the embroidery needle and make beautiful works of art for her husband and children.

And yet, why was it that her hands had grasped the hilt of an epee more than they had ever touched the embroidery needle? Why was it that she inspired frightened, defeated stares from men, rather than delighted smiles?

Why was it that she had made men kneel before her, not out of adoration, but out of her triumph over them? Men had fallen to her feet, not out of their admiration, but out of their defeat.

Why?

Why was she strong, when a strong wife was the last thing that Ciel, or that any man would want?

Why was it that she was intelligent, when a wife who spoke her mind was sure to bring nothing but downfall and shame to her husband?

Why?

As if in answer to her question, a faint whisper danced into her ears.

 _"Because you're different, Elizabeth."_

Lizzie's entire body tensed at the sound as she searched frantically for the source.

"Who's there?"

Staying completely still for a moment, Lizzie willed the voice to speak once more, hearing only the ticking of the clock and the rustle of the leaves in its stead.

Finally, as Lizzie dared to breathe, the voice spoke again.

 _"You."_

Her heart beating frantically, Lizzie's eyes snapped to the mirror before her.

Her own image, reflecting reality as it was, seemed even more unsettling than if the voice had come from there.

 _"Why do you look any further?"_

The voice drifted through again, and fear crept into every cell of Lizzie's body.

 _"You were never destined for that, Elizabeth. A life of servitude, a life of submission; that life was never one destined for you."_

An alien feeling, a fear beyond fear, seemed to encompass her every being.

"Who are you?"

She whispered out, her heart pounding madly in her chest, the blood running cold in her veins.

 _"Remember who you are, Elizabeth. Remember."_

The voice spoke once more.

Who was she?

She was a lady.

She was Ciel's bethrothed.

Her entire life, her entire being; the only road she knew to walk was the one leading her to the altar at Ciel's side.

Who was she?

She was to be Ciel's wife, the mother of his children, the lady of his house.

That was her destiny, her sole purpose.

And with

"I am the wife of the Queen's watchdog."

Lizzie replied shakily, sweat pouring down her brow despite the ice that ransacked her bones.

 _"Yes. You are the wife of the Queen's watchdog!"_

The voice cried out in triumph.

 _"His sword, his shield, that is what you are, what you were meant to be! A Phantomhive, and a Midford. That is who you are."_

Lizzie stood, silent at those words as they thrummed into her head.

And she remembered.

She remembered learning.

She remembered the flames of the Phantomhive manor: a testament to the hell that the Phantomhives lived in.

Wasn't that where she belonged?

She remembered anguish.

She remembered the burn in her legs as she trained, remembered the sting in her palms, remembered the clash of metal against metal.

Wasn't that where she belonged?

A Phantomhive, and a Midford.

Shouldn't she…?

"No!"

She cried out in fright, ashamed at the thoughts rushing to her head.

"No!"

Phantomhive and a Midford that she may be, she was still a lady.

A lady.

And she remembered.

She remembered the ache of the corset against her chest.

She remembered the gentle grace of the ladies of the court.

Red.

Madame Red, her beloved teacher.

Red, the color of her hair, of her dress, of her jacket.

 _"A lady, should be super weak and cute in front of her lord. It's the most important thing, to be an innocent, naïve girl. It's your job to smile and be surrounded by nice things, just like in nursery rhymes."_

She had always admired Madame Red.

That voice that haunted Lizzie now, that told her to be strong, it couldn't be right.

She remembered the scene vividly: sitting in the garden with her, as she spoke those words to her.

Red.

The color of the rose, beautiful and delicate.

And even then, the simple peace, that simple image, shattered as she remembered.

Red.

The color of the flames that had devoured her dreams and life.

Red.

Searing red pain.

Red.

The color of the blood that was drawn from the thorn of the rose.

Red.

And with that, a torrent of emotion ran through her head: a torrent of uncertainty, anguish, and fear, as that horrid voice rang through her head, reminding her, accusing her, until she could take no more.

 _"You're a Midford! This is your destiny, what you were born to do!"_

The voices in her head screamed louder and louder.

 _"This act that you put up, that is all that it is! An act, nothing more, nothing less!"_

They built up within her, a crescendo of voices and flames as she screamed.

"Shut up!"

 _"You aren't a lady!"_

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

 _"You were never meant to be one, and you will never be!"_

"Please!"

 _"Ciel can never love you, not like this."_

The voices, they were mocking her, searing into her, beating her up from the inside. And, just like that, Lizzie snapped.

"Shut! UP!"

In a fit of rage and desperation, Lizzie hurled the closest object to her that she could reach.

Crash!

The resounding shattering of porcelain against tiled floor brings Lizzie back to her senses, as she looks over what she had just thrown.

A shudder passes through her at what she sees.

It turned out to be a doll, one given to her by Ciel a year back.

A cute doll, with porcelain skin, blonde curls, and green eyes.

Lizzie had adored it, had loved how it looked almost exactly like her.

But now, as she gazed upon this shattered image of herself on the floor, Lizzie loathed it.

And, slowly but surely, the voices came back.

 _"You are no lady."_

"Please...shut up..please..", Lizzie murmured to herself, tears falling down her cheeks.

A lady.

To be a lady was all that Lizzie aspired to be.

A lady who garnered admiration, a lady who made her husband proud.

The doll's pink lips seemed to move in the pale moonlight, curling into a bizarre smile wider than any she would dare wear.

 _"Elizabeth Midford. You will break. Just as I did."_

Who was speaking?

The doll..it couldn't possibly...could it?

 _"Uncouth. Barbarian."_

The voice continued to accuse Lizzie, until Lizzie lost it.

Despair and agony surged in her veins then as she drew back her foot, only to bring it down on the doll's head with a sickening crunch.

Again, again, again, and again.

 _"Rough. Unlovable. Uncute."_

Again, again, again, and again!

Almost as if possessed, she crushed the doll with her feet, until finally, the voice stopped.

Glassy green eyes stared vacantly back at her.

Silently.

The only sounds in the air were of those of her heavy breaths and her frantic heart, which seemed even louder than they should have been. Her hands shook, her jaw quivered, and her eyes widened as she took in the mess that she had just made.

The doll, in her image, lay in shambles, as did Lizzie's soul.

Who was she?

What had she done?

Just then, a soft strip of candle light befell over her as the door cracked open.

"My lady?"

With a startled gasp, she looked up, staring in horror at the face of the Phantomhive butler who had witnessed this crack in her mask, this chink in the armor of femininity and cuteness that she had donned.

His eyes moved from her shivering figure, to the shattered figure lying on the ground.

"My, my, young lady. Whatever could have happened here?"

Walking into the room and setting the candlestick down on to the nearest table, he got to work gathering the pieces on the ground, setting them into a basket that he seemed to have brought out of nowhere.

The lady, meanwhile, stayed motionless on the ground, breathing hard in a cold sweat as Sebastian calmly picked up the broken shards on the ground.

Finally, Sebastian finished, and soon, Lizzie found herself cradled in his strong arms as he carried her to her bed. She was pliant in his arms, offering no resistance to his touch.

Silent, frightened.

"Sebastian?" she asked meekly, her voice barely discernible.

"My lady?"

"Please...don't tell Ciel about this..please."

"Of course, my lady."

Sebastian said with a smile as he looked over the figure he held.

His master's treasure.

Delicate silk hid the budding breasts and soft curves underneath. From the way that the soft fabric fell around her limbs, he could tell that she was nothing like the other pretty ladies that he had seen and touched in recent years. She was not built to be soft. She was not built to be delicate. She was built to be firm, strong enough to hold the raging storm within her.

"You should be more prudent, my lady, as it is known that it is at this time that the demons come to play. A demon would not pass up a visit to such a lovely young lady as yourself, young mistress. Did you have a nightmare, my lady?"

She nodded feebly.

He knelt beside her, the action warm and fatherly.

"Would you like to tell me about it?"

She shook her head no, the image searing far too strongly in her mind.

The butler smiled. To her, it seemed comforting, but it was a smile of anticipation as the scent of her fear and reluctance from the nightmare filled his nostrils. This little lady was indeed a feast to behold.

"Very well, then, Lady Elizabeth. I shall be taking my leave. Good night, young mistress." And with a bow, he turned away, about to leave, when her soft voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Sebastian?"

"My lady?" he turned back to her, a smile on his thin, cruel lips.

"Does Ciel ever think about me?"

"I can assure you, my lady, that he does, indeed."

"Do you think he loves me?"

"I believe that he does."

Silence befell over them once more, and he began to make his way out.

He was at the door when she called again to him, her voice wavering ever so slightly.

"Sebastian?"

This was getting quite irritating. Nevertheless, he turned back to her, a cruel smile plastered on to his thin lips.

"My lady?"

"After all this...Ciel..he will not leave me, will he?"

" I cannot say.", he replied with that same, cold smile.

With those three words, Sebastian may as well have thrown Lizzie naked into the ocean in the winter.

The smile did not leave his face as he stepped out of the room, leaving a shell shocked little girl alone with her cold, frightened thoughts.

"And so it has started", he thought to himself. "I did not expect it to begin so quickly, and from so small a thing."

With her pure, tumultuous soul and her delicious, budding figure, he knew, indeed, that the Lady Elizabeth would prove to be quite the treat, with both her body and soul.

And, as he walked down the corridors and into his quarters, red eyes glowed with mirth as a hungry grin took residence on his face.

All he had to do now was wait.

Meanwhile, under the bath of the full moon, Lizzie made her decision.

For her, and for her Ciel, she had to stay cute. For that was her duty as his wife.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading, and sticking on with it!**

 **Comments make my day and keep the story alive. Any suggestions or errors you may find are greatly appreciated as well.**

 **Once again, thank you!**

 **~Lakandula**


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